Bib's new car?

[steve930]

Delicate subject I know, but whats the plan/choice assuming lotus don't give you another test car?

Assuming you have to buy, you could always try UK sportscars. I hear they have a great selection of top quality cherished examples!! Lol

P.s. I can't do smileys on my mobile

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

We should club together an buy Bibs a car from UK Sportscars... if only for the thread!

[obione]

Do UK Sportscars sell the Austin Ambassador with the beige interior?

[red vtec]

Bond Bug

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

Do UK Sportscars sell the Austin Ambassador with the beige interior?

Do you mean the desirable, rare beige interior, perhaps with the metallic cappuccino paint work in stunning unrestored condition showing original patina?

They can probably find you one!

Edited August 10, 2012 by Stirling_Villeneuve

[B1 RMA]

What became of the nice white V8 Dany had? that would be nice.

[steve930]

We should club together an buy Bibs a car from UK Sportscars... if only for the thread!

Lol that would be pure forum gold!

[Exploded]

If he gets desperate... now where did I leave my piano... :lol:

Edited August 10, 2012 by Exploded

[Bazza 907]

Those door handles look the muts

[V8 FOU]

Knowing of his deep love of that company, perhaps Paul will lend him a car for a year?

Probably be about as useful as to him as the last year has been for Lotus

[Bibs]

Paul, what's your beef with Lotus giving me those Evora's. Since you've no idea of the agreement or results or in fact any of the details of my relationship with Lotus and indeed me or TLF, I'm interested to know why you're so objectionable? I note your post above and several on PH in the same vein.

This is the same Evora I stopped to offer you help in when your Esprit broke down, as a total stranger too, no?

[steve930]

Getting back on track, what is your plan bibs? I bet cluggers has some real germs tucked in his unit. :-)

[Bibs]

Alright, out with the truth. Clugson is my father

[steve930]

LOL. Judging by the question evasion, can we assume there may be a grand surprise next weekend?

I'm off to my boat nowfor the weekend, see if I can annoy some police jetskiers

[Bibs]

Afraid not! I'm not sure what I'll buy but I think I'd like to try a few cars that I've always wanted to over the next few months/years. 12 years of Esprit ownership was wonderful but some variation would be nice. Perhaps sniffing around a V6 Alfa GTV at the mo', maybe a mk1 MX-5, or Racing Puma, that kind of thing. Would like to get out on track more too, that's not been possible with the Esprit so much so maybe an Elise/Exige aswell.

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

Exige S... Lotus owe you!

[Trevsked]

Elise

VX220

Evora

GT86

S2000

Mk1 MX5

Late Europa

968 CS

MR2

Impreza

Mitsubishi EVO

Nice position to be in (choosing a new car). I'm sure I will think of some more but the above track ok as well as making reasonable road cars.

Trevor.

[steve930]

The porsche would be my choice, cracking track car. I had one many moons ago with an aftermarket supercharger. An E36 bmw M3 is also quite a handy weapon witty a few sensible upgrades, you can get nice ones for very little money at present

[TBD]

How can the GOD of TLF drive anything but a Lotus?

Does limit your choices though.

[internets]

Late Euopa, another Lotus that has been holding its price well, get an SE and even better

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

How can the GOD of TLF drive anything but a Lotus?

Does limit your choices though.

That is a good point, got to fly the flag and all that malarky... but limited choices?

There's always an Esprit S3 for sunny days, or an Excel... very stylish and underrated IMO. Exige S2's are good value... Elises even better. Early Evora's are a steal!

[V8 FOU]

Paul, what's your beef with Lotus giving me those Evora's. Since you've no idea of the agreement or results or in fact any of the details of my relationship with Lotus and indeed me or TLF, I'm interested to know why you're so objectionable? I note your post above and several on PH in the same vein.

This is the same Evora I stopped to offer you help in when your Esprit broke down, as a total stranger too, no?

Ooh, a tad sensitive,eh?

Well, I have no "beef" , but I am curious as to the raison d'etre of your set up.

Let us look at the maths.

Lotus are in real trouble and have been particularly so over the last year or two. I guess that you would justify your loan of your car as a promo for Lotus? Sooo, being that in general, Evoras lose about £20/30K in the first year, so perhaps we can assume you car has "cost" Lotus with maintenance etc around £20K +.

Lotus have sold YTD 99 cars in this country. I do not know the mix of Elise/Exige/Evora. There only 468 Evoras registered and 68 sorned(!) So, let's assume 80 Evoras sold? How many of these sales are of a direct or indirect result of your custody of your example? Shall we say 20 to be generous? So it would appear that each sale has cost them £1000 - about 1/3 - 1/4 of the dealer margin or a further loss to Lotus on each - I do believe they already make a loss on each one produced?

I'm not being pedantic or picky. Just curious of what is in it for Lotus, that is all.

Lotus are, as I said, in real trouble financially. They have cut costs drasticaly and are trying to make a turnaround. Surely, loan cars or as we have been led to believe in the Bahar tenure, gifted cars, are a yet another addition to their costs?

I am happy to be proved wrong, but from my perspective, Lotus need all the help they can get in reducing costs.

I have a long term passion for Lotus from a long line of ownership and cars though my workshop stretching back to the early 70's racing a Mk1 Lotus Cortina. I don't claim to be an expert just some 40 odd years of experience as an engineer and passionate lover of the brand. Like most, I want to see them succeed and flourish.

To return to the OP question. If you are a great supporter of the brand and the company, why not buy the loan car to have as your own?

I did say thanks when the Esprit stopped and to all the other 10 people who offered help!

So, I hope that answers your question!

Lastly, phew, I would ask what your "beef" is with Paul Clugson? Perhaps you would like to invite him to reply on here to any issues you might have with him?

[Bibs]

No Paul, I'm so thick skinned from running forums on the internet for years I can't even feel hot or cold any more. I just don't let snide comments slip.

The first Evora's, 3 years old now, are going for £30k or in fact even more. That's less than £29k depreciation, they were £59K new and that's at 3 years so your figures are wrong. Any case my loan cars were part of the press fleet and already budgeted for, they didn't allocate them to the fleet especially to me so if the worlds 2nd busiest Lotus site wasn't writing about them, then a less busy site/magazine would be. They also sell only a relatively small proportion of their cars to the UK so any figures you have are in no way representative of their world market. Lotus don't lose money on Evoras either, not the case. They about broken even on the Elise until recently, but profit from the Evora.

When a company is in trouble, hiding in it's shell isn't going to help, they need to actively market as what they were before wasn't enough or they'd not be in trouble. Cutting spurious costs like LA parties, irrelevant Motorsport sponsorship and Goodwood FoS is good, cutting costs which actively lead to car sales isn't. Long term test cars have been a staple of the car industry for decades now as they are a proven success. Hiding away in a factory building cars hoping people know about them isn't a staple as it doesn't work.

I'd love to buy one of the long term Evora's, especially the NA IPS I had but unfortunately the six figures that running this site costs me personally per year means I've not got that cash sitting around waiting to spend on a car I'm afraid. I'm not even going to go into what I do freely for this brand but I'm sure you don't even know 10% of it...

Clugson has ripped off 2 of my pals to the tune of £5k+ in unhonoured warranty work on his overpriced cars. I also know of a couple of people who've needed to spend effectively the cars value on them to recommission them after he's had them on SoR. There are plenty more stories on here and elsewhere about his business practises, google him. He can come round my house and tell me what a saint he is but I think I'm happy with my opinion until I hear otherwise about him.

[steve930]

don't see the issue with lotus loaning out a car to bibs, its no different to lotus & other manufacturers loaning long term test cars to various magazines, and this forum in my opinion falls under the broad blanket of motoring media.

Lotus may not have made a profit yet (according to your figures) but this may change over a longer period of time and the beauty of this forum being all test articles relating to said evoras' will be permenantly avaliable to read free of charge, unlike a paper magazine which has a shelf life of a month & you then have to purchase a back issue to read a certain article!!

Assuming your correct with your figures & lotus make a loss then surely as its a form of advertising it would all be tax deductable?

Having dealt with UKSC although some cars there may well be good examples, you can't escape the fact that you're dealing with a slimy COCK!

This post should've gone before bibs, too slow on a keyboard

[pete]

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/lotus/exige-s2/lotus-exige-240-bhp-supercharged/590165

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